Communication: Student interns with high ranking Arizona radio station

If you’re driving through Waynesburg or enjoying life on campus, you might switch on Waynesburg University’s campus radio station and hear a booming voice with a slight accent hosting a specialty show or broadcasting an event. That voice belongs to Alfonso Ferrari, a Tucson, Arizona, native and a junior communication (sports broadcasting/sports information) major at Waynesburg University.

In the summer of 2013, Ferrari returned to his home state – but not for a summer relaxing on his parents’ couch. He committed to a challenging internship with one of the best radio stations in Arizona, Arizona Sports 620 KTAR.

“There is no better place for radio in the state of Arizona, and the station is highly regarded at the national level as well,” Ferrari said. “My favorite part was interacting with the hosts; I grew up listening to them. I really enjoyed learning how things are done there.”

Ferrari’s responsibilities included editing sound used for promos and previews as well as highlights from Arizona Diamondback radio broadcasts, editing and uploading podcasts and interviews to the station website, documenting every show and finding newsworthy stories.

He felt challenged by having to multi-task his many roles at the station, but said that working for Waynesburg’s radio station helped him to learn more than just on-air duties.

“I learned how to edit and upload sound, and the programs we use at Waynesburg are similar, if not the same, as what is really being used in the profession,” Ferrari said. “Working for Waynesburg’s station as well as all of my communication courses, most notably radio station management, prepared me very well.”

Lanny Frattare, assistant professor of communication at Waynesburg University and past voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates for 33 years, has mentored Ferrari through his radio courses and has watched him progress into a “top notch” broadcaster. Frattare remembers when Ferrari visited campus as a high school junior for the University’s annual Sports Announcing Camp.

“From the moment Alfonso arrived on campus, I knew he was an individual with a promising future,” Frattare said. “The fact that he wanted to travel to Pennsylvania from Arizona to investigate sports announcing convinced me that he was dedicated. I was elated when he told me that he would be enrolling at Waynesburg University.”